Charles l



(No Model.)'

0. L. ROBINSON.

TAIL PIECE FOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

No. 459.414. Patented Sept. 15,1891.

WITNESSES: INVENTO]? Q @QAMM y 31 v 5; fl juww ATTORNEYJ.

mowmrm, wAsumcYc, u. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES L. ROBINSON, OF NElV YORK, N. Y.

TAIL-PIECE FOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 459,414, datedSeptember 15, 1891.

Application filed February 4, 1891. Serial No. 380,127. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES L. ROBINSON, of New York city, New York,have invented an Improved Tail-Piece for Musical Instruments, of whichthe following is a specification.

This invention relates to a tail-piece for banjos and similar musicalinstruments, by which all the strings may be simultaneously slackened ortightened up, and which is made of such a form as to facilitate theattachment of the strings.

The invention consists in the various features of improvement more fullypointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a top View of my improvedtailpiece; Fig. 2, an end view, and Fig. 3 a rear view, of the same.

The letter (t represents a plate bent into the form of a hook andconstituting the body of the tail-piece. This hook opens on top, asshown, and beneath its month there is an inclined section a, that servesto guide the strings toward and out of the mouth.

At the bend the hook is perforated for the reception of the strings I).These strings are knotted at the ends, as usual, the knots I) beingreceived by the groove that is formed between the two shanks of thehook. This groove may be provided with a suitable lining 0.

hen a new string is to be secured to the tail-piece, it is passedthrough its perforation and run upward out of the groove, so as to bewithin easy reach, Fig. 2. Then the stringis knotted and tightened up bythe turning-pin till the knot is drawn back into the groove. Thus itwill be seen that by my tail-piece the string end is guided to a pointwhere it may be easily manipulated.

The shank of the plate a is bent down, as at a and provided with a nutor tapped opening. This opening is engaged bya set-screw (Z passingthrough the perforation of an end plate 6, that projects upwardly abovethe rim of the banjo A. This end plate is provided at its lower end witha longitudinal slot 6, through which passes the shank of a screw j, thatconnects the end plate to the banjo. If the screw f is slackened, theend plate may be moved up or down, so as to project to any desiredextent above the rim. The set-screw (Z serves to draw the plate ahorizontally toward or away from the bridge to any desired extent. Thusby this screw all the strings may be simultaneously slackened ortightened up. Not only does this screw therefore per mit the pitch ofthe instrument to be quickly changed, but it also permits the strings tobe relieved from strain when the instrument is not used.

\Vhat I claim is 1. The combination of a hook-shaped perforated plate a,having a bent shank, with a set-screw (I engaging said shank,substantially as specified.

2. The combination of hook-shaped perforated plate a, having anupwardly-opening mouth a and a downwardly-bent shank a with a set-screw(Z engaging said shank and with an end plate engaging the set-screw,substantially as specified.

3. The combination of vertically-adj ustable end plate 6 with ahorizontally-adjustable string-carrying plate a and with a set-screw d,that connects the plates 6 a, substantially as specified.

CHAS.- L. ROBINSON. \Vitnesses:

A. J ONGHMANS, F. v. BRIEsEN.

